CANDY Montgomery made international headlines after she was accused of murder in 1980. 

The blood-curdling case has been the inspiration for several true crime series since – here’s all you need to know axe-weilding about the mom-of-two.

Who is Candy Montgomery? 

According to articles published at the time, Candy was a” typical suburban housewife” and was married to Pat Montgomery. 

In 1977, the couple and their two children moved to Wylie, Texas, where they lived an idyllic life in the country. 

Candy joined the Methodist Church of Lucas, and it was there that she met Betty Gore. They immediately hit it off and became close pals. 

Who was Betty Gore?

Betty Gore married Allan Gore in 1970 and the couple welcomed their first child.

Allan was working at Rockwell International – a company that manufactured electronics for a variety of sectors including the space industry.

In 1976, Betty started working as a teacher at an elementary school but she struggled with the job. 

According to Texas Monthly: “She couldn’t control her unruly students and at the same time she couldn’t bear to be left alone at home when Allan had to travel.”

Betty decided she wanted another baby and started planning her pregnancy with military precision.

She wanted her child to be born in summer so she wouldn’t need to take any time off from her teaching job to have the baby. 

Their sex life reportedly became “mechanic” and Allan reportedly became resentful and their marriage began to suffer. 

Allan met Candy at a church volleyball game in 1978 when they both collided as they tried to hit the ball. 

For Candy, it was love at first sight and she instantly started fantasizing about the two of them having an affair. 

Texas Monthly articles said that Allan considered Candy “one of the most attractive women in he church” – but turned down her suggestion of a secret relationship as she was newly pregnant. 

This didn’t last long though and on Candy’s 29th birthday they set the ground rules down for their affair. 

They both agreed that if either of them started getting “emotionally involved” they would call things off. 

Candy remained best friends with Betty and even threw her a baby shower.

When Betty welcomed their second child in 1979, Allan decided to end things with Candy and work on his marriage – which filled Candy with rage. 

What did Candy Montgomery do to Betty Gore?

On June 13, 1980, Betty was found dead in her home.

Allan was away on a business trip and first became concerned when she wasn’t answering his calls. 

He asked his neighbour to pop over to the house and make sure she was ok, but Betty didn’t answer the door. 

Frantic, he called Candy who was looking after their daughter at the time, and she told him that Betty was fine and not to worry.

Despite Candy’s reassurance, Allan convinced another neighbour to check on Betty, who was horrified to find “oceans of blood” spilling from under the utility room door. 

The neighbour, who thought Betty had been shot, called Allan to break the devastating news. 

Allan called Candy at around 11.30pm and told her what had happened and asked if Candy could continue looking after his daughter. 

Police discovered that Betty had struck 41 times with a wood splitting axe.

They also found a bloody footprint in the home and as the last person to see Betty alive, Candy landed herself the position of suspect number one. 

Did Candy Montgomery commit the crime?

Allan told the police about his former affair with Candy – which cops agreed was a motive for the killing. 

She was arrested and charged with Betty’s murder, but she remained adamant that she wasn’t guilty. 

Candy was released on bail and she hired lawyer Don Crowder who enlisted a psychiatrist and clinical hypnotist to uncover Candy’s memories from the night in question. 

In the 1980 trial, Candy pleaded self-defense for Betty’s murder. 

She said that Betty had confronted her about her affair with Allan and when Candy came clean, Betty tried to attack her with an axe.

Candy told jurors that she managed to prize the axe off Betty and struck her during the struggle. 

The psychiatrist said that Candy had experienced childhood trauma and Betty’s behaviour triggered something within her – which led Candy to slash Betty 41 times with the axe.

Texas Monthly said at the time that Candy only stopped “at the point of utter exhaustion.”

Did Candy Montgomery go to jail and where is she now? 

No, she was found not guilty and served no time for the murder of Betty Gore. 

Candy and Pat moved to Georgia in 2010, where she started working as a family counselor. 

Dallas Morning News also reported that the couple split shortly after their move.